Cnidaria
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Cnidaria is a phylum of the Kingdom Animala. The name translates to "stinging nettle." These creatures are also invertebrates, and they have stinging cells that, when provoked, eject a poison-tipped barb into their target. Cnidarians can be found in shallow pools all the way to the deep ocean. Some cnidarians have radial symmetry, meaning that they are symmetrical from a central point. Additionally, cnidarians are carnivores, so they consume other animals for energy. Some of them hunt for their prey, like jellyfish, while others like sea anemones, grab organisms as they pass by to drag them into their mouths. Suprisingly, coral is actually a cnidarian. It eats similarly to anemones, but it can also eat sugar produced by the algae that gives it its color. Scyphozoans, the class that jellyfish are, move around by pushing water off of their body with pulsating muscles and propelling themselves. Other cnidarians, such as coral, don't move at all. Some predators and prey of common cnidarians are:

  • Sea Otters (predators of sea urchins)
  • Sunfish (predators of jellyfish)
  • Sea Stars (predators of coral and sea urchins)
  • Plankton (prey of jellyfish, plankton)
  • Cod (predators of sea urchins)
  • Sea Turtles (predators of jellyfish and sea anemones)
  • Crabs (predators of coral and jellyfish)
  • Birds (predators of sea urchins and jellyfish)
  • Snails (predators of coral)
  • Whale Shark (predators of jellyfish)
  • Barnacles (predators of coral)

Cnidarian species and classes:

  • Elkhorn Coral(Anthozoa)
  • Spotted Jelly (Scyphozoa)
  • Lettuce Coral (Anthozoa)
  • Lion's Mane Jellyfish (Scyphozoa)
  • Velella (Hydrozoa)
  • Box Jellyfish (Cubozoa)
  • Starburst Anemone (Hexacorallia)
  • Immortal Jellyfish (Hydrozoa)
  • Organ Pipe Coral (Anthozoa)
  • Sea Pansy (Anthozoa)
  • Portuguese Man O' War (Hydrozoa)
  • Christmas Tree Hydroid (Hydrozoa)
  • Magnificent Sea Anemone (Anthozoa)
  • Crystal Jelly (Hydrozoa)
  • Common Sea Fan (Anthozoa)
  • Peach Blossom Jellyfish (Hydrozoa)
  • Hump Coral (Anthozoan)
  • Moon Jelly (Scyphozoa)
  • Plumed Hydroid (Hydrozoa)
  • Atlantic Sea Nettle (Scyphozoa)
  • Brain Coral (Anthozoan)
  • Elephant Ear Anemone (Anthozoa)
  • Warty Sea Wasp (Cubozoa)